Niagara — an important yet not often talked about part of the Irish famine story — will be part of an international heritage trail memorializing immigrants who fled the potato famine in the 1800s and landed in ports around the world. “This is an absolutely critical and often forgotten part of the Irish story,” said Mark McGowan, a professor of history at the University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto.
“Niagara was one of the critical areas of reception for Irish migrants to Central Canada for a variety of reasons. This place was not only a gathering place and a workplace, but it was also a dispersal point to other places.” A trail of bronze shoes, which weigh about three kilograms and are cast from antique children’s shoes discovered in a 19th-century cabin in Ireland, will stretch from Canada to as far away as Australia.
McGowan said that once the trail is completed, it will be the longest heritage trail in the world. A pair was delivered to Niagara by McGowan on Thursday. An extension of the National Famine Way in Ireland, the Global Irish Famine Way will follow the journeys of all Irish famine emigrants around the world, including Canada, the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia.
At least 15 bronze shoes, tied up with a ribbon, which McGowan described as “symbolic of hope or good luck on the journey,” will be located in Canada, including Niagara, Toronto and Hamilton. Evoking the initial journey, the shoes trav.
